Week 1 of the 2024 college football season has arrived, and fans are in for a loaded slate of games this weekend, highlighted by a Big Ten vs. Big 12 showdown on FOX. James Franklin and the No. 8-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions are currently taking on West Virginia in this weekend's FOX Big Noon Kickoff matchup (watch on FOX and the FOX Sports App). The matchup between the Nittany Lions and Mountaineers features plenty of fascinating storylines, including Franklin's quest to lead his team to the newly expanded 12-team College Football Playoff. Only three teams have reached the CFP in a season where new hires were made at both offensive and defensive coordinator, and now Penn State is aiming to be the fourth — a task further complicated by the addition of a new special teams coordinator as well. Meanwhile, West Virginia would love to shock the college football world by pulling a major upset at home. The Mountaineers lost to the Nittany Lions in Happy Valley a year ago, but went on to make the season a success anyway by winning nine games. Quarterback Garrett Greene and running backs CJ Donaldson Jr. and Jahiem White are a dangerous trio and could make things difficult for any opponent they face this season – and Penn State arguably provides the stiffest competition this team will play against all year. It's all going down on “Big Noon Kickoff,” and we've got you covered with all the action from Saturday's game on FOX. The Penn State-West Virginia game is in a weather delay and play has been suspended due to a lightning storm that rolled in at halftime. Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium was evacuated. James Franklin’s Nittany Lions lead the Mountaineers 20-6. The game was halted shortly after 2 p.m. with lightning in the area. The weather forecast in the Morgantown area calls for thunderstorms for the next few hours. MORGANTOWN, W.Va. — The stage is set for one of the more anticipated season openers in the 132-year history of West Virginia’s football program. For the first time since 1992, the Mountaineers welcome Penn State to Mountaineer Field for a noon matchup that will air on FOX.  The Nittany Lions start the 2024 campaign with heightened expectations and a No. 8 national ranking, along with a more realistic opportunity of qualifying for the College Football Playoff now that it has expanded to include 12 teams. West Virginia enters off its best season under head coach Neal Brown. Chosen to finish last in the Big 12 Conference, the Mountaineers overcame a loss at PSU in the 2023 opener to finish 9-4 and won five of their last six games in the process. With the majority of the offense having returned, WVU is hopeful to build off its finish to last season in what marks Brown’s sixth year as head coach. “Our guys are excited about the opportunity,” Brown said. “It’s going to be a great challenge. It’s not going to make or break our season in any way, but I’m not trying to minimize the importance of it. This is a big-time college football weekend. We have FOX and a Big Noon game. The crew is going to be here. Pat McAfee [was] here Friday. There is a lot going on and the spotlight is going to be on Morgantown. I fully expect our fans and community to really blossom under the bright lights.” With the majority of last season’s impact players returning offensively, the Mountaineers strive to execute at the level they did during the second half of the 2023 campaign. West Virginia did not reach the 30-point mark in each of its first four games against FBS competition, before doing so in seven of the last eight contests. Much of that success can be attributed to quarterback Garrett Greene, a dual threat who returns for his second season as the starter. Greene threw for 2,406 yards with 16 touchdowns and four interceptions a year ago, while adding 772 rushing yards and a team-best 13 TDs on the ground. “I think we’re a better football team than last year,” Greene said. “The offense kind of got rolling toward the middle of the year and I don’t think we had that opening up last year.” The return of tailbacks Jahiem White (842 yards, 7.7 ppc, 4 TDs) and CJ Donaldson (798 yards, 11 TDs) means West Virginia brings back its three primary ball-carriers from last season that helped the Mountaineers lead all power conference programs in rushing yards per game. Center Zach Frazier and right tackle Doug Nester are no longer around, but the Mountaineers have four offensive lineman back with a surplus of experience. There is also a strong contingent returning among Greene’s top targets, including tight end Kole Taylor and wideouts Hudson Clement, Traylon Ray and Preston Fox. The addition of receivers Jaden Bray (Oklahoma State) and Justin Robinson (Mississippi State) should only bolster the depth at that position. “A team that’s returning a ton of starters and a ton of starters that had success creates challenges,” PSU head coach James Franklin said. “That’s a big factor in ranking teams. Then the unknown of the transfer portal and guys coming in, especially if they’ve come from smaller schools and you don’t have as much information on them., that can create some real challenges as well. Both are challenging and they’ve done both.”  The offense figures to have its work cut out and then some against a PSU defense that was among the top units in all of college football last season. While former Indiana head coach Tom Allen has taken over for Manny Diaz as the Nittany Lions’ defensive coordinator, a surplus of top-tier talent is back on that side of the ball, including edge rushers Abdul Carter and Dani Dennis-Sutton, linebacker Kobe King and defensive backs Kevin Winston and Jaylen Reed. “It starts with the two ends. Abdul Carter started last year at linebacker, and regardless of what draft board you’re looking at, he’s one of the earliest defensive guys taken,” Brown said. “Dennis-Sutton has an early round grade on him as well. Where it gets lost a little bit on their defensive line is they have a number of guys they play interior wise, and it’s going to be hot Saturday. They’ll be able to rotate a bunch of different bodies.” There are fewer known quantities on a West Virginia defense that will be tasked with trying to solve a Nittany Lions’ offense also working with a new coordinator in Andy Kotelnicki. Like the Mountaineers, Penn State returns quarterback Drew Allar, its top two rushers from last season in tailbacks Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton and a top-tier tight end in Tyler Warren. Safety Aubrey Burks is among West Virginia’s most productive returners defensively, while Sean Martin and Edward Vesterinen provide experience along the defensive line. “This is everything I’ve ever dreamed about,” Vesterinen said. “The YouTube videos, atmosphere and pressure. I’m really excited about this game and winning would be big-time for our program and our fans. Our fans have been waiting for something like this for a very long time.” At linebacker, where depth often came into question following a season-ending injury to Trey Lathan in 2023, the Mountaineers figure to have more options. Along with the return of Lathan, WVU also gets back Josiah Trotter, who missed all of last season with a lower leg injury. Ben Cutter returns as well after gaining a surplus of experience as a true freshman. The defense as a whole will need to be more effective in slowing down Allar, who completed all but eight of his 29 passes for 325 yards and three touchdowns in last year’s matchup. “You study what you did a year ago and you want to do things philosophically that you believe in, so you’re going to continue to do those, but you can’t present it the same way,” Brown said. “They have really good coaches and they’ve been watching us since last year. You have to change up what you’re doing in all three phases. The bottom line is when this game kicks off, there’s going to be a bunch of adjustments and who can do that in the most efficient way and do it early will have an advantage.” For the second year in a row, Penn State and West Virginia University will begin their football seasons playing against one another. Last year, Penn State's Nittany Lions defeated WVU's Mountaineers 38-15 at Beaver Stadium, this year's season opener will be in Morgantown on the Mountaineer's home turf. The Nittany Lions vs. Mountaineers game will air on Saturday, August 31 on Fox as part of Fox's Big Noon Kickoff, with the game starting at 12 p.m. ET. Here's how to watch Penn State vs. West Virginia this Saturday on TV and where you can stream the game. Date: Saturday, Aug. 31. Time: 12 p.m. ET. Location: Milan Puskar Stadium, Morgantown, WV TV Channel: Fox Streaming: Fubo TV, DirecTV. YouTube TV, Hulu with Live TV You can watch national coverage of this weekend's game between the West Virginia Mountaineers and the Penn State Nittany Lions on Fox starting at 12 p.m. ET. WVU will welcome Penn State to Milan Puskar Stadium in Morgantown on Saturday, and the game can be streamed on platforms including Fubo TV, Hulu with Live TV, DirecTV, and YouTube TV, with a 12 p.m. kickoff. Catch live NCAA football on Fubo TV all season long. All times listed are ET.